Bulgaria faces ‘rigged elections’ playbook challenge
If there is one thing that Trump will leave in his aftermath – it cannot correctly be called a legacy – is that a campaign to allege than election was rigged can have an effect. He and his accomplices were not handed the illegitimate victory they hoped their lies and intimidation would gain them; the effect has been other.
The fact is that now there is a working playbook on how to try to discredit an election. Around the world, few in politics can have failed to notice.
As Bulgaria heads to this year’s elections, whenever they will be, already voices are being raised that the playing field will not be fair. So much has been heard about this that Boiko Borissov’s ruling GERB party has twice in recent days issued public calls not to discredit the election process.
One difference between Trump and those in Bulgaria is that he had the White House and social networks – probably, that should be the other way around – and the office he has occupied to use as a bully pulpit from which to preach his untruths. In Bulgaria, the stated forebodings about the ballot come more from parties with questionable prospects of winning any, or a significant number of, seats in the next National Assembly.
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